In Jesus Holy Name December 5, 2012
Mid Week Advent I Redeemer
“Who Is This Jesus? He Is the Word”
I love the opening three words: “In the beginning…” Wait! When was the beginning? Wait. Was there a beginning? Our solar system contains a star. We call it the sun. Our solar system has comets, planets. It is part of a larger galaxy we call the Milky Way. A beautiful sight, at night, when there is no city lights to obscure the sight.
The Hubble telescope provides wonderful photos of a never-ending, expanding universe. Unnamed spinning galaxy’s with black holes, about which we have little knowledge. One of the popular theories about the “origin of the universe” is the “big bang” theory. But science is still baffled by the question…. “What happened before the ‘big bang’? Where did the original matter and gases come to from?” From nothing? From a Creator?
“In the beginning was the Word”, John writes. With these few words John takes us back to Genesis chapter 1. In the beginning was God….. nothing existed except God. Can your mind grasp that concept? Nothing. No air. No light. No stars. No life. No matter. No galaxies.
What did exist was a spoken “word” of God. Martin Luther along with many other theologians explains that this “word” was His power to think, his rationality, his ability to create. Your spoken word gives reality to who you are and what is inside your being.
In Genesis 1 the Hebrew word that our English has translated “God” is “Elohim”. It is a plural word without the English “s”. It was God who spoke words & “light was created.” Light did not exist before the “word” was spoken. It was God who spoke words and the “universe, including our galaxy was created. It was Elohim who spoke words and the earth was filled with plants and rivers. Animals filled the earth. Fish filled the seas. Birds filled the air.
In history past the children of Israel and Moses were terrified at the vision of God's glory at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:16-21; Hebrews 12:18-21). The prophet Isaiah was struck with fear when he saw the glory of God in the Temple (Isaiah 6:1-5). Adam and Eve were hiding from the glory of God in the garden…yet He came seeking them out of love.
But there is no fear in the visible presence of God's glory seen in Jesus.
“In the beginning the Word was with God and the Word was God.” This “Word” of Elohim, took upon Himself flesh and bone and made His dwelling amongst humanity. His name was Jesus. Paul writes in Colossians: “God was pleased to his fullness dwell in Christ….”
Magnificent words! At Bethlehem God stopped speaking to us as an invisible voice. The Word became a Person whom people could see and touch. The timeless God becomes a little baby-all to show us His grace and truth, to give us a glimpse of His own glory.
He came as a baby born in Bethlehem and placed in a manger where cattle lately fed. As Paul writes: He was the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation, for by Him all things were created. This holy “Word” in the beginning, has become one of us so that we might again know of his love.
The question must be asked. “How can this baby be the “light of the world?” How can a baby overcome the power of evil in the world?
Would it not have been easier for “this Word” of God, this Jesus to just arrive as an adult and begin his teaching, and work his miracles? It is a good question. But surely just as people are asking for the “beginning” of the universe, would they not also ask… ‘did this man Jesus have a beginning?’ ‘Where does he come from?’ Even Nathaniel asked: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
John writes: “This “Word” was in the world, and even though the world was made through His spoken ‘word’, the world did not recognize its own creator. He came to the human race that He, Himself created, but they did not welcome Him. The light shines in the darkness but the darkness has not understood it.
God’s initial historic purpose is introduced in the creation when God delegated to Adam the right to rule the earth and take care of it. This was God’s initial purpose for mankind. In Adam the role of human responsibility as God’s stewards, God’s managers, was introduced. (2:15-17)
Adam’s management and God’s ownership were quickly challenged by Satan. The serpent emerged as the enemy of God when he questioned and then denied God’s Word (Gen. 3:1-5). The serpent proposed that Adam and Eve rebel instead of obeying God’s command, for in that way they themselves could be “like gods.”
When Adam and Eve accepted the serpent’s word and ate the fruit they lost their position as ruled by God and found themselves ruled by Satan. Death became a reality and they lost their relationship with God, their creator. Under God’s permission evil entered the human race, and Satan’s lie now controls all of humanity who believe they are kings and queens of their own destiny.
Because the human race is ruled by sin and death….human beings know there is a hole in their heart, an unanswered question about life beyond this existence. There is an emptiness that science, and creative religious philosophies cannot answer, for they are not able to see beyond the darkness of death. Some philosophies find it easier to deny the existence of God. They are called Atheists. They live in denial.
God announced a plan to combat and defeat the serpent who holds the human race in the grip and fear of death. The shepherds, in the fields of Bethlehem heard words of the angels, who spoke the “word” of God. Behold, unto you this day in the town of David a Savior is born.” Joseph hears the “word” God spoken by the angel… “Joseph, do not be afraid, the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit….you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” In other words, Joseph, The “living Word” that was in the beginning has become flesh and bone.
In the beginning God speaks and the universe came into existence. In history God continued to speak and His Word became flesh and dwelt on earth. His name was Jesus.
Grace, truth, glory: all have been seen in Jesus who was crucified. He rose from the dead to show that God's glory is to forgive sinners and to restore them to His way of life-as revealed in His Son, humanity's forgiving Savior and Servant Lord.
The Advent of our Lord Jesus is upon us, and in these troubled and complex times, what are we to do? May we suggest what is confidently proclaimed in Hebrews 12:1-2:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
As we look forward to the Advent season and the New Year, let continue to proclaim His Word which is light that shatters the darkness of sin and death.
